Home in Wiltshire
by Cerenbus.Snape.Malfoy
Summary: For Hermione, coming home to Ludgerhall, Wiltshire is bittersweet. She'd always dreamed of a life with her childhood best friend, Draco. But Draco's betrayal had cost her the future they'd once planned./Draco's back to fight for her. But getting Hermione to forgive him is the hardest challenge he'd ever faced. With the stakes so high, it's one game he can't afford to lose.HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

**~1~**

Settled at her usual table near the kitchen of her mum's restaurant, Hermione Granger ate the last of her omelet and opened the local paper to the sports section. Even though she and major league Quidditch Seeker Draco Malfoy, a hometown boy, had been apart for a long time now, it was a habit she hadn't been able to break. She kept hoping that one day she'd see his name in print and it wouldn't hurt. So far, though, that hadn't happened.

Today, with the Quidditch season barely started in mid-April, she was expecting nothing more than a small jolt to her system from the local weekly. Instead, her jaw dropped at the headline at the top of the page:

**Star Montrose Magpies Seeker Draco Malfoy on Injured Reserve**

The article went on to report that after just three games, the Quidditch sensation from Ludgershall, Wiltshire would be out indefinitely following surgery two weeks ago for a potentially career-ending injury to his shoulder. He'd be doing rehab, possibly for months, and he'd be doing it right here in town. He was, in fact, already here.

Clutching the paper in a white-knuckled grip, Hermione had to draw in several deep breathes before she could stand. Shouting for her mother, she headed straight for the restaurant kitchen, only to be intercepted by the sous-chef, James Potter.

Regarding her with concern, James steadied her when she would have dashed right past him. "Hey, sweetie, where's the fire?" He asked.

"I need to see my mother," she said, trying to wrench free of his grasp.

"She's in her office. What's wrong, Hermione? You look as if you've seen a ghost."

Though she'd poured her heart out to James as a teenager, right this second she was incapable of speech. Instead, Hermione simply handed him the paper.

James took one look at the headline and muttered a curse. "I knew this was going to happen." He said.

Hermione stared at him, her sense of betrayal deepening. "You knew about this? You knew Draco was back in town?"

James nodded. "Since the day before yesterday."

"Mum too?"

He nodded again.

Now it was Hermione who uttered a curse, made a U-turn and headed back to the table to grab her purse. What had everyone been thinking, conspiring to keep something this huge from her? Especially her mum, who knew better than anyone the damage secrets, lies and betrayal could do.

James stuck with her. "Come on, Hermione, don't blame your mother for this. Go to her office. Talk to her." He urged as she stormed past him through the kitchen. "She was just trying to protect you."

At the door, she turned and asked angrily, "So I could be blindsided instead? Draco had surgery two weeks ago, James! He's been in town how long – a couple of days? A week? It's not as if this happened yesterday."

"I'm sure Annie thought it wouldn't make the paper here before she had a chance to tell you."

"Forget the stupid newspaper. We're talking about Ludgershall in an age of cell phones and the internet," Hermione said incredulously. "Gossip spreads in minutes, and around here Draco's big news. Hell, even _you _knew and you're not tapped into the grapevine. You all knew before one word of this hit the paper."

"Lily's tapped in and I'm married to her, to say nothing of working for your mum. Not much gets past the Trio. And in this case, they all knew what was going on the instant Narcissa found out Draco had to have surgery."

"Which begs the question," Hermione said bitterly. "Why didn't anyone think I had the right to know?" A thought suddenly struck her. "That's where Narcissa went a couple of weeks ago, isn't it? She when to be with Draco when he had his surgery."

James nodded. "Look, it's not about you deserving to know." He said reasonably. "You've been pretty touchy with anything to do with Draco for quite a while now. Nobody's known quite how to handle it."

Okay, that was fair. In fact, Hermione totally understood the dilemma. She and Draco had been together on a casual basis during their senior year in Hogwarts and for a couple years after that. Since their mothers, Annie and Narcissa were best friends, she and Draco had been friends forever, as well. The ties binding them had been tight on many levels.

And then it had all unraveled. Hermione supposed the breakup had been as inevitable as the fact that they'd fallen in love in the first place. After all, a superstar professional athlete had beautiful women falling at his feet in every city. How was Hermione, the quiet hometown girl supposed to compete with that, especially when she was still in college?

The official disintegration of their relationship had dragged out over an entire year, partly because neither of them had known how to dash all those parental expectation that they'd marry and live happily ever after.

For months they'd seen the handwriting on the wall, but they'd both been in denial. When tensions had been running especially high, they'd tried to avoid coming back to Ludgershall at the same time. On the rare occasions when family get-togethers couldn't be avoided, they'd tried to deal with the awkwardness with carefully orchestrated polite indifference. They'd both understood how a bitter split could potentially damage the lifelong friendship between their mothers, and they'd wanted to avoid inflicting that kind of collateral damage. At least they'd agreed on that much.

Of course, all of that had been before the real damage had been done. Before Draco's infidelity had become public knowledge in the worst possible way. After that, all bets had been off. There'd been no more pretense that things had ended amicably.

Fortunately, neither her mom nor Draco's had asked too many questions once the facts were out there. It went beyond sensitivity. Hermione suspected Annie and Narcissa had made a pact years earlier to leave the two of them alone. Goodness knew, the Trio- as Annie and Narcissa and Lily had been known since Hogwarts- meddled in everyone else's lives, but over the years they'd barely mentioned Draco in Hermione's presence or her to him. More recently, the silence had been deafening.

Hermione supposed their current avoidance of the subject was part of the same old pattern, though she was in no mood to cut them any slack this time. Didn't they think she'd care that Draco had sustained a serious injury? Didn't they know what it would do to her for him to be right back here, in her face every single day? Couldn't they at least have warned her?

As she started out the door, James tried once more to stop her.

"Wait!" He commanded. "Come on, Hermione. If you won't talk to your mother at least talk to me. I swear I'll just listen. You can rant and rave all you want."

She regarded him with a bleak expression. "There's nothing to say." Draco had as much right to come home to Ludgershall as she did, even if it would turn her life upside down.

"Where are you going?"

She shook her head. She honestly didn't know. Not to work, that was for sure. She worked at The Corner Spa, owned by her mum, Lily and Draco's mum. Narcissa, in fact, ran it. Hermione didn't want to face her right now, either. Though they both tried, it had been awkward between them ever since the breakup. Now it would be a thousand times worse. She wasn't sure she could bear another of Narcissa's pitying looks.

Ironically, Hermione worked at the spa as a sports injury therapist and personal trainer. Armed with her degree as a physical therapist and two years of experience at a sports injury facility in Ireland, she'd had the idea to add a physical therapy component to the spa's services.

And while the spa was open only to women, there wasn't a doubt in her mind that Draco intended to do his rehab there in the off-hours when no one else was around. He could be counting on his stepfather and former coach, Severus Snape, to oversee his rehab, or even the spa's other personal fitness instructor, Sirius Black, but Hermione suspected that sooner or later someone was going to suggest she get involved. She was the one with the expertise in sports injuries, after all.

Just the thought of seeing Draco again was enough to make her want to throw up. It had been years since she'd won her battle with anorexia, and though she'd never been bulimic, right this second any thought of food made her nauseous. The little bit she'd already eaten churned in her stomach.

Even as the dark thoughts registered, Hermione gasped. _No way! _She thought fiercely. She was not going to let Draco's return send her back into the kind of self-destructive eating pattern than had nearly killed her. She was stronger than that. And he was a prat. In fact, that might have to become her mantra, one she repeated at least a dozen times a day. "I am strong and Draco Malfoy is a prat!" She said aloud, testing it.

Yes indeed, that ought to keep her from backsliding. And if she felt herself slipping on either front, well, she could always take an extended vacation somewhere far away from Ludgershall until Draco's shoulder had healed and he was back to his glamorous, self-indulgent lifestyle, the lifestyle he'd chosen over her.

Satisfied with her plan, she considered going to work, after all, but concluded it might be a bit too soon to test herself. Instead, she called the spa and asked Sirius to take any of her appointments he had time for and to cancel the rest.

"I'm taking a mental health day." She informed him, falling back on an excuse she hadn't used since Hogwarts.

"Ah, you heard about Draco." He said, sounding sympathetic. "Anything I can do?"

"Has he been sneaking in there after hours?" She asked, hating the fact that there were virtually no secrets in this town except those kept from her.

"Just a couple times." He admitted. He hesitated, then added, "I've started working with him, but he'd do better with you."

"Hell will freeze over before that happens." She growled heatedly into the speaker.

"Think about it, Hermione." Sirius urged. "His career's on the line, and he was once your friend."

"He was more than a friend and he blew it." She retorted, unyielding. "Will you deal with my appointments or not?"

"Of course I will." He said. "I'm sorry you're hurting."

Hermione sighed. "I just wish I knew if I'm more hurt because Draco's back or because everyone apparently conspired to keep it from me."

"A little of both, I suspect." Sirius concluded. "Do something totally spontaneous, today, something a little crazy. Blow off some steam. You'll feel better."

Hermione considered the suggestion, then dismissed it. The only thing that might make her feel marginally better would be having Sirius –or anyone else- agree to punch Draco's face in. She smiled at the thought and suddenly knew exactly where she needed to go – to the one person who might actually do that for her.

Ten minutes later, Hermione was sitting on a stool behind the counter at her dad's hardware store on main street while he waited on a customer. Stephan Granger had a history of being quick-tempered and protective. This might work to her advantage today.

As soon as they were alone, her father surveyed her intently. "You don't look so good, kid."

"You could make me feel better." She suggested.

"By punching Draco's lights out?" he guessed, proving he, too, had been in on the town's worst-kept secret. "I don't think so."

She sighed. "Why not? He deserves it."

Stephan laughed. "No question about it, but can you imagine the riot that would stir up between your mum and Narcissa? They'd be forced to take sides, and so would Severus and I. Then Lily and James would be drawn into it, and eventually the entire town would likely follow suit. Pretty soon, everybody would have to wear buttons or ribbons to declare which side they're on and it would be a mess. Sorry, sweetie, it just wouldn't be good for business, and in the end, you'd be consumed by guilt for stirring it all up."

Despite herself, Hermione chuckle at her father's humorous logic. It was true: Ludgershall did have a tendency for taking sides, and there was no way this feud between her and Draco would stay quiet for long, even without her dad beating Draco up for her. And, damn her soft heart, she _would _feel guilty about it later.

"I guess I'll just have to deal with this." She said morosely.

Her dad pulled up a stool next to hers and studied her with a frown. "Is there anything else I can do to help?"

"You can tell me why men are such idiots." She suggested glumly. The question wasn't rhetorical. She really wanted to know.

"Hormones and a lack of common sense." Stephan answered at once. "Just look how I messed up things with your mum for no good reason. Weigh that against how long it took me to make things right. Idiocy definitely played a role in that." He slanted a look at her. "You want to talk about what happened? I know it's a touchy subject, but you've never said a word about how you felt when things blew up and all Draco's dirty laundry was spread all over the tabloids."

"I think my feelings are pretty obvious without dissecting them." She told him.

"Sometimes talking does help."

She shook her head. "Not likely."

"Sweetie, I know how badly he hurt you, and if I really thought it would help, I would punch him." He hesitated, then added, "I also know how important his friendship was to you for a long time before that. Do you really want to lose that too?"

"I lost our friendship a long time ago." She said mournfully. That, as much as anything else, was what had broken her heart. "I just have to face it, dad. It's over. Not just the relationship, but also the friendship. I'll never be able to trust Draco again."

"Your mum learned to trust me again." He reminded her gently.

"Not the same." She contradicted.

Her dad was right about one thing, though; cheating was something he and Draco had in common. The big difference was that Stephen had recognized his mistake after one careless, irresponsible slip. Draco not only hadn't acknowledged it, he'd compounded it by cheating over and over until he'd finally gotten caught. He had a three-year-old son as proof of his infidelity.

Hermione might have been able to get past the cheating with enough time, but that precious little boy? No way. Any babies Draco had were supposed to be with her, not some gold digger who'd slept with Draco a couple times, then dumped her kid with him in exchange for a big payoff when he wouldn't marry her.

Oh, Hermione knew all the gory details. Not because Draco had told her, but because they'd been in the tabloid folder for weeks. Obviously if Draco were home, so was his little boy. Now everyone in Ludgershall who'd been living on Mars when the story first broke would know just how big a fool she'd been to give her heart to some hotshot Quidditch superstar.

Worst of all, despite everything – the betrayal, the hurt, the humiliation – she still loved him. And that made her and even bigger idiot than he was.

**…**

"You need to call Hermione." Narcissa told Draco after seeing the headline about his return in the Wiltshire newspaper. "It was foolish to think we could keep your being back here quiet for long."

"Don't you think Annie probably filled her in?" He said, torn between dread and anticipation at the thought of speaking to Hermione. Their relationship had ended really badly, and it had been all his fault. "Besides, Hermione doesn't want to talk to me. She made that plain three years ago."

"When Scorpius was born." His mother guessed.

Draco nodded. He loved his son to pieces, but he knew that Hermione would never in a million years get passed the fact that he'd not only cheated, but fathered a child with someone else. There wasn't an explanation in the world good enough to make her see passed that one huge mistake.

Claiming that they hadn't been exclusive certainly hadn't worked. Reminding her of the countless times they'd talked about how reasonable it was to date others while she was still in college and he was on the road with the team had only backfired.

"That didn't include getting another woman pregnant." She had retorted, her eyes filled with the kind of hurt he hadn't seen since her mum had kicked her dad out for cheating when Hermione was fourteen. "How am I supposed to forgive that?"

"I don't know." He'd told her, defeated. "I honestly don't know."

Truthfully, he still didn't. But when he'd been injured, the one bright spot had been the chance to come back to Ludgershall and maybe take a stab at making things right with Hermione. He could have done the rehab anywhere, had the best trainers in the world working with him, but he'd refused every option the team had proposed packed up Scorpius and come home. He wasn't entirely sure why making amends to Hermione was so important right now, but it was. One of the lessons he'd learned the hard way was that friendships were more valuable and lasting than casual sex. Too bad he'd had to lose his best friend before he'd figured it out.

Now that he was here, though, he had no idea what the next step should be. Maybe his mum was right. Maybe it just needed to start with a phone call.

"Does she ever mention me?" He asked, hopeful, but not optimistic as he searched for some sign that Hermione's attitude had mellowed.

Narcissa shook her head. "Certainly not to me… can you blame her?"

"I suppose not."

"I wish things had turned out differently, Draco. You two- "

"Are over." He interrupted flatly. "Her decision."

"If you honestly believe that, then why did you come back here?"

"I thought it would be good for Scorpius to spend some time with his family." That, at least, was true. His son needed more stability than he could get even from the most doting nanny and a dad who was on the road for days – sometimes weeks – at a time.

His mother studied him skeptically. "Really? And that thought only occurred to you after I mentioned that Hermione had moved back home?" Before he could respond, she continued. "Because it certainly didn't cross your mind during the off-season last year, or the year before that."

"Coincidence." He claimed.

"Oh, Draco." She chided. "At least be honest with yourself. You're here because of Hermione. Why bother denying it, at least with me? Now, what are you going to do to make things right?"

He glanced across the table and saw the lingering disappointment in his mother's expression. That was as hard to take as losing Hermione. After the way his dad had cheated on his mum and the way Draco had hated him for it, surely he should have behaved more responsibly. Instead, he was apparently a chip off the old block, after all.

"I have no idea what I can do." He admitted.

"Well, you need to come up with a plan. The two of you are bound to cross paths. Not only is this a very small town, but our families are connected. Annie and I are friends. We're in business together. Hermione works for me for heaven's sake."

Draco winced at the complicated mess he'd managed to create. "I'm sorry, mum. If this is going to become some big thing between you and Annie, I can go somewhere else for rehab."

"No." She said, backing down at once. "Having you back home is such an unexpected joy for me and for your brothers and sisters. It's giving us a chance to spend times with Scorpius, too." She drew herself up. "Annie and I will figure out a way to deal with this." She said confidently. "We've been friends for a long time, and we've always known that something might come between you and Hermione. That's why we tried so hard to stay out of it."

"How about you and Hermione, though?" he asked worriedly, wishing he'd thought his decision through before disrupting everyone's lives. Coming back had been selfish, he could see that now. "She's been like another daughter to you, and you work together. It's going to freak her out kowing I'm around. What if she quits just to avoid me?"

"Hermione's more mature than that." Narcissa said with certainty. "She's a strong young woman. She'll cope."

"What if it, you know…?" He hesitated, then voiced his greatest fear, the one that nagged at him since the day they'd parted. "What if she goes back to being anorexic?"

Narcissa regarded him with dismay. "No, Draco! She won't do that."

"She could, mum." He shook his head. "What the hell was I thinking? The stress of Stephan taking off is part of what triggered her eating disorder in the first place. She felt like her life was a mess and food was the only thing she could control. Now, having me in her face could do the same thing. I'd never forgive myself if that happened."

"It's not going to happen." Narcissa said empathetically. "She was just a teenager when she got sick. She's twenty-three now. It's been years. Believe me, Annie and Stephan know all the signs. Hermione still sees Healer Lovegood from time to time. They'll be all over her if there's even a hint that her anorexia is back. Besides, she didn't fall apart when you two split up, so there's no reason to thinking she will now just because you're here in Ludgershall."

"I suppose." Still, he couldn't help worrying about Hermione. She'd never been half as tough as she'd wanted everyone to believe she was. He was one of the few who'd seen her vulnerability way before she'd even been diagnosed with anorexia. She'd looked up to him, trusted him, talked to him… fallen in love with him.

Then he'd betrayed her. And for what? A string of casual flings that had meant nothing. He'd wanted to prove he was hot stuff. Hanging out with groupies had been a rite of passage into the big leagues. All the guys liked to unwind after the games. There were always eager women around.

Unfortunately, it had taken too long for him to realize just how empty and meaningless all that was. Compared to what he had with Hermione – the real deal, he knew now – it was just sex and a few laughs with women who liked to brag they'd hooked up with a Quidditch player.

To his very deep regret, Scorpius' mum had barely stood out from the crowd. When they'd met after a road game in Salisbury, she'd struck him as shy, with her big brown eyes and corn silk hair. She was quieter than most of the others, less aggressive. She'd actually been able to hold up her end of a conversation. Ironically, he'd seen a vulnerability in her that had reminded him of Hermione.

The next time he'd been in Salisbury, Draco had seen Astoria again, spent three nights with her. On his third trip to town, she'd told him she was pregnant.

The news had hit him like a bludger in the gut, left him slack-jawed and sputtering. He realized he didn't even know her last name.

Nor could he be sure the baby was his. He wanted proof, insisted on it, which set off their first huge fight. Astoria, who's last name turned out to be Greengrass, was insulted he could even ask. He was appalled that she thought he was so stupid he wouldn't.

Struggling with years of conditioning to take responsibility for his own actions, Draco had turned to a buddy on the team for advice.

"You're in love with her?" Blaise Zabini had asked.

"No." Draco admitted. "I barely know her."

"Then you wait. You get a paternity test. If the kid turns out to be yours, you go from there."

Astoria had been furious when he'd told her the plan. She'd threatened to go to the tabloids if he didn't marry her immediately. Despite all the potential for a very public ugliness, Draco had held firm. That was when he should have gone to Hermione and confessed everything, but he'd waited. And, of course, the news had leaked out.

By the time Scorpius was born, any faint feelings he might have had for Astoria were dead and buried. The positive paternity test didn't change that. In court, he acknowledged being the boy's father, relinquished custody to Astoria with visitation rights for himself, arranged to pay child support, and even agreed to a generous lump-sum payment to get Astoria her own place, a two bedroom condo in a very nice building.

Two months later, he'd opened the door to his hotel room on a road trip to Calne to find Scorpius in a basket on the doorstep, and Astoria nowhere in sight. In an instant, he took the role of a single father.

Because of the prior arrangement and Astoria's disappearance, it had taken a year of wrangling in court to change their custody agreement so that he had sole custody. He's struggled to balance parenthood with a physically demanding career that took him away from home too often. Finding a nanny he'd trusted had been a nightmare, but eventually he'd found Pomona Sprout, an older woman who'd raised four children of her own and doted on Scorpius as if he were her own grandson. To Draco's amusement, she treated him as a son who'd gone astray and needed firm moral guidance. Pomona had been a Godsend for both of them.

In the meantime, the whole thing had played out in the tabloids. He imagined that Astoria had gotten a pretty penny for the inside scoop, to say nothing of what she must have gotten for tipping off a photographer before she left the baby outside his hotel room.

And it had all hit the fan before he'd been able to work up the nerve to tell Hermione about any of it. He'd been the worst kind of coward.

What Hermione thought of him – what he thought of himself – didn't matter, though, not as long as she didn't go back into her old anorexic eating pattern. He didn't think he could handle that. Hurting her was bad enough. He'd never be able to live with destroying all the progress she'd made, the normal, healthy life she was leading.

Then, again, maybe he was exaggerating the pain he'd caused her. Maybe she'd made peace with what had happened, considered herself lucky to be rid of him. She could have moved on by now. It was certainly what he deserved, but the thought depressed him just the same.

Because Hermione Granger had slipped into his heart a good lifetime ago, and she was still there… despite everything he'd done to show her otherwise.

**AN: Okay, so what do you think? Should I continue?**


	2. Chapter 2

**~2~**

Lily Evans-Potter left the courtroom feeling triumphant. She barely resisted the urge to pump her fist in the air on the courthouse steps. Such gloating, she thought, might have been a bit unseemly.

Still, she couldn't help savoring today's victory. Her client had gotten everything she deserved from her weasel of an ex-husband. Lily had enjoyed the man's shell-shocked expression as the judge had handed down his ruling.

A few years ago such a verdict wouldn't have been worthy of note, because just about all her clients won, no matter how bitterly contested the divorce. Lately, though, ever since her marriage to James and the birth of their second child, Sarah, Lily had taken fewer and fewer cases. Her standing as the barracuda attorney of choice in the entire state of Wiltshire was no longer assured, so today's triumph was especially sweet. She was back!

As she had for years, she wanted to celebrate with her best friends, the Trio, with one of their margarita nights. This victory had been a long time in coming. For quite a while, Lily had feared she'd lost her edge to the complacency of marriage and motherhood. After today, she almost believed she could have it all.

First she punched in Annie Granger's number on her cell phone. "My place, tonight at eight." She announced. "We're celebrating my courtroom comeback."

"Eight o'clock on a Friday night?" Annie asked incredulously. "Haven't you heard? I run a very successful restaurant. We're packed at that hour."

"And my husband, your outstanding sous-chef, is perfectly capable of handling the last couple of hours on his own and closing up." Lily reminded her. "When was the last time we all cut loose?"

"It's been a while." Annie conceded. She paused, then asked. "Have you spoken to Narcissa?"

There was a cautious note in Annie's voice Lily couldn't quite read. "Not yet, why?"

"She might be avoiding me."

Lily drew a blank. "Why? Did you two have words about something?" Over the years, there had been spats among the three of them, but they'd been healed almost before they'd begun.

"Draco and Hermione." Annie said succinctly. "It's all hit the wall today. Hermione found out that Draco's home. James saw her right after she found out and he said she's livid because none of us warned her. I called the spa earlier and Sirius told me she called and took the day off. Now I can't find her."

Lily muttered and expletive she rarely used. "Draco and Hermione's issues have nothing to do with you and Narcissa." She said. Then amended, "Well, of course they do, because they're your kids, but didn't you resolve years ago to let them work out their own problems?

"It's harder to stick to that now that they so obviously have big-time issues." Annie said. "Draco came back here with a little boy, for Merlin's sake! How's that for rubbing it in my daughter's face that he cheated on her?"

"It stinks." Lily agreed. "And if you want to torture Draco, I'll help, but please don't let it come between you and Narcissa. You two are my best friends in the world. I don't want to have to start tiptoeing around or seeing you separately because the two of you aren't speaking."

"Look, I know this isn't Narcissa's fault," Annie acknowledged, then added with real heat in her voice, "but how are we supposed to pretend that her son didn't rip out my daughter's heart? Am I supposed to ignore that?"

"Don't you think Narcissa's upset about that as you are?" Lily suggested. "She loves Hermione too." She thought about it for a minute, then added, "How about this? We'll just declare the topic off limits. Or else I'll negotiate a truce. I'm very good at negotiating things, in case you've forgotten."

Annie laughed at last, cutting through the tension. "As if you'd let us forget."

Lily seized on the tiny opening. "Come on, Annie, don't say no. I want you here. It won't be a celebration without you."

"Okay, fine, but if things get tense, I'll leave."

"Let's just cross that bridge _if _we come to it. I'll see you at eight." Lily replied, determined to make sure her friends made peace before the night was over.

"I'll bring the food." Annie offered. "I'll make a fresh batch of guacamole and steal some appetizers from the freezer here."

"Can't have margaritas without that killer guacamole." Lily agreed.

After she'd disconnected the call, she dialed Narcissa and repeated the incitation When Narcissa hesitated, Lily jumped in. "Annie's coming. The subject of Draco and Hermione is off limits. We're only going to talk about me."

Like Annie, Narcissa laughed. "Not much new about that. Okay. I'm not convinced you can keep us from veering off onto the subject of our children, but I don't want to miss out on watching you try. Should I tell Bellatrix?"

"Absolutely." Lily replied right away. Bellatrix, who was in charge of the day spa services at their business, had become an honorary member of the Trio's tight circle of friends. Though she'd only been around for a few years now, she was definitely one of their own. "If you'll invite her and maybe pick up some chips and cut veggies for Annie's guacamole, that'll give me some time to buy the biggest bottle of tequila at the liquor store and to spend time with Sarah before she goes to bed."

"By the way, what are we celebrating?" Narcissa asked.

"I took Henry Claft to the cleaners in court today, pun intended." Claft ran a chain of dry cleaners in the region. He'd hoped to leave his wife of thirty years with next to nothing, even though she'd worked right alongside him building the chain from the little neighborhood shop to the dozen outlets they had now. Lily had seen it differently as had the judge, especially after the testimony of the Claft children about how involved their mother had been in the business.

"Good for you." Narcissa praised. "I hate men who minimize their wives' contributions to their success."

Narcissa knew more than some about that, since she'd had just such a husband before divorcing physician Lucius Malfoy and winding up with the Hogwarts Quidditch coach, Severus Snape, who was ten years younger. In Lily's opinion, that particular revenge had been especially sweet.

"Well we can toast to all the women who've been mistreated like that and emerged victorious." Lily replied.

"Sounds like fun to me." Narcissa agreed, then hesitated. "Lily, how did Annie sound really? Is she very upset that Draco's back? I know it's awkward, and I feel awful for Hermione, but I'm so happy to have him and Scorpius here for a while."

"I know you are, and I don't think Annie begrudges you this time with them. It's just hard for her to see Hermione so upset."

Narcissa sighed. "You should probably know that Hermione didn't show up for work today."

"So I heard." Lily admitted.

"Sirius sais she'd just found out about Draco." Narcissa continued, her tone sympathetic. "She read it in the paper, of all things. I probably should have told her myself, but I thought Annie would. This is so damn complicated. I have no idea what my son was thinking."

"I doubt thinking was involved in this mess." Lily said dryly. "If you want my advice, you need to enjoy having Draco around and stay out of his relationship with Hermione. They're adults now. And in case you're wondering, I said pretty much the same thing to Annie."

"It's just I was so sure…" Narcissa's voice trailed off.

"They were so sweet together, I think we all thought they'd be together forever." Lily agreed. "But it was never up to us."

"I know. See you tonight."

Lily hung up, relieved that her desire to celebrate her courtroom victory might give Narcissa and Annie the chance they needed to meet on neutral turf. For the first time in several years- since Sarah's birth, in fact- she felt like her old self again…. In control and on top.

**…**

Lily's feeling of euphoria lasted for just under two hours. She'd barely walked in the door and set down the tequila and other supplies she'd bought for tonight's gathering, when a hospital in Amesbury called to let her know that her mother had been admitted with a broken hip. Clutching the phone, Lily sat down hard.

"She broke her hip." She repeated, her tone dull. How many times had she heard of seniors whose health went on a downward spiral after an accident like this? Not that her mum was that old. Flo Evans was barely into her seventies and still active, so maybe this wasn't so bad.

"How serious is it?" Lily asked with surprising hesitation for a woman who prided herself on being quick, knowledgeable and decisive in an emergency.

"The surgery went well." The nurse replied, her tone chipper. "But she's asking to see you, and you should know she won't be able to be on her own for a while once she'd released from the hospital. That means a rehab facility or nursing home or at-home-care. You can discuss that when you see her."

"But I…" Lily began, then stopped herself before she said that she didn't have time to fly to Amesbury. She and her mother might not be close, but she owed her.

After her husband's death when Lily was only ten, Flo had worked two jobs to see that Lily had everything she needed growing up. Flo had scrimped and saved to make Hogwarts possible, hounded lily to keep her grades up so she could win scholarships.

Now it was up to Lily to see that her mother was well cared for. In her mind, a condo in Amesbury and monthly checks were adequate compensation, but clearly her mother now needed more. Lily couldn't abandon her to figure this out for herself.

"Tell her I'll be there tomorrow." She said eventually. After all, she was and expert at juggling tasks. Her decisiveness kicked in. How long could it possibly take to make arrangements for her mother's care? A day or two at the most. The nanny could cover Sarah's needs, and James would be there to take up the slack. Lily's secretary could reschedule her appointments. Even as thoughts crossed her mind, Lily began making lists of what needed to be done. She had an entire page of notes, including the nurse's recommendations of local rehab facilities, before she'd hung up the phone.

By the time the first of the Trio gang walked in the door, Lily had all the arrangements made for a quick overnight trip to Amesbury. Handling all the details kept her from actually thinking about what she'd find when she got there.

Thank heaven for margarita night, she thought, taking her first deep swallow of a very large, very tart drink. She was going to need alcohol and good friends to face what lay ahead, because she and her mother could fight over nothing faster than two cars going sixty could collide head-on.

**…**

Still upset by his conversation with his mother about Hermione, Draco found himself heading for Severus' office at Hogwarts on Friday afternoon. Even before Severus had become his stepfather, he'd been Draco's coach and mentor. Draco could talk to him about things he'd never say to his mum or even to his father. As a former big league Quidditch player himself, Severus understood that world in ways that no one else around here could.

Draco was slouched down in a chair, idly rubbing his aching shoulder when Severus eventually came in.

"Well, what a surprise." Severus managed to actually look pleased. "What brings you by?" He asked, studying him intently. "You having trouble figuring out what to do with all this time on your hands?"

"Something like that." Draco mumbled.

"You might as well hang around here this afternoon, could help me coach the first years."

Draco shook his head. "I'd need to show them what I'm talking about, and right now I play Quidditch like a girl."

Severus gave him a slightly peeved look. "Keep in mind many of the greatest Quidditch players have been girls." He scolded before his expression changed to sympathy. "Besides that, rehab's just started, Draco. It will get better."

"It never did for you." Draco replied, referring to the fact that Severus' own major league career had been ended by an injury.

"And my life turned out just fine." Severus grumbled moodily. "Though I can't say I love teaching bumbling idiots to fly straight, I do enjoy seeing one or two out there with real potential. And I love your mother and our family. I don't have any regrets."

"Oh come on, Severus." Draco scoffed. "You can't tell me you weren't depressed when you realized you were never going to play Quidditch again."

"True enough." His stepfather admitted. "I was in a self-pitying mood, as a matter of fact, but then a rather wise man came to visit me and told me that there were still plenty of worthwhile things I could do. He steered me toward teaching potions and coaching. In fact, he's the one who brought me to Ludgershall." He gave Draco a rare smile. "Fortunately for you, you have me to tell you the same thing."

"Gee, how reassuring." Draco grumbled sourly.

Severus gave him a long, hard look. "You really are having a pity party for yourself today, aren't you? Look, here's the truth, Draco. There's no reason to think our situations are alike. I had complications. You're healing well. It's just going to take time and determination. You lose the rest of this season, so what? You'll be back stronger than ever next year."

The simple fact alone that Severus was taking the time and patience to try to reassure him lightened Draco's outlook on the matter, though Draco was in no mood to cooperate. "Is that your medical opinion?" He inquired testily.

Severus came around his desk and perched on the corner, pulling his black robes tightly around himself as he was prone to doing. "What's really bothering you, Draco? It has nothing to do with Quidditch, because we both know your prognosis looks promising. What has you in this foul mood?" Severus gave him a knowing look when Draco remained silent. "Why must I even ask? Surely this is about that Granger girl, Hermione. You came home thinking everything would fall into place the way it was in the old days, and know you're finding out that if you want her back, you'll have to work for it."

"I never expected it to be easy." Draco insisted. "I know she hates me."

"If she does, that's probably a good thing." Severus replied.

"In what universe?"

"Hate is the opposite of love, or so they say. If she had no feelings toward you at all, that's when it would be necessary to worry. Have you called her?"

Draco shook his head.

"Stopped by the spa while she's there?"

"No."

"Dropped in over at Stephan and Annie's?"

Draco regarded him incredulously. "You have to be kidding me! Annie'd probably slap me silly with a cast-iron skillet. You weren't here for the scene she made when she found out Stephan had cheated on her. That is one scary woman."

Severus chuckled darkly. "She is spirited, no question about it. So, what then? You're waiting for Hermione to make the first move? Good luck with that."

"Yeah, I know." Draco replied glumly.

"Then what is your plan?"

"I don't actually have one." He thought about it, then murmured. "Flowers? I could send over a ton of daisies. Hermione always loved daisies."

"It would break the ice, at least. But I don't think you can count on flowers doing the hard work for you. When it comes to a woman, you have to put yourself out there, take a few risks. Flowers are too easy."

Draco regarded him with a wide-eyed expression. Since when had he been the go-to man on women and the way they thought? "In other words, she'd going to want to see me bleed." He muttered.

Severus bit back a smile. "In a manner of speaking. I think you owe her a little bit of public groveling, don't you?"

"Just for starters." Draco conceded. Truthfully, he owed Hermione that and a whole lot more. He stood up, feeling marginally better. "Thanks."

"Yes, now with your miserable love life out of the way, you never answered my question; are you coming by the pitch tonight? Stephan and I could use the help coaching the first years. We have too many children and too few coaches."

"And give Stephan a chance to beat me into a pulp? No thank you, dear father, I'd like to stay in one piece as long as possible."

Severus chuckled. "You could always hide behind Falin or hold your little sister. Stephan would never throw a punch at a man holding a child."

"I am not hiding behind Falin!" Draco cried. "Or Scorpius or Marylyn, either, for that matter. That would be pathetic."

"So is hiding from Hermione." Severus countered, clapping him on the shoulder and making him wince. "Deal with her, Draco. At least you'll know where you stand."

Unfortunately, he already knew where he stood with Hermione. And Severus was right about one thing: flowers – even entire vanloads of them – weren't going to fix things.

**…**

Hermione shoved the plate of food aside, untouched. But a pointed glance from her mother had her pulling it ack. "I'm just not hungry right this second." She grumbled, even as she ate several bites of Granger's pot roast special only to wipe the look of concern from her mother's face.

"You're upset about Draco." Annie said. "I get that. And I'm really sorry I kept quiet about him being back here. I was just trying to find the right time to tell you."

"I understand." Hermione soothed. Once she'd cooled down, she'd realized how impossible the whole situation was, especially for her mum and Narcissa.

Her mother regarded her worriedly. "I just don't want you to-"

"Stop eating." Hermione interrupted, finishing the unspoken thought. "Mum, it's fine. Really. I ate breakfast this morning – ask James. I'd almost finished before I saw the article in the paper about Draco being back. I even had a bowl of soup at McGonagall's for lunch. You can ask Minerva if it so pleases you."

"I'm not going to spy on you."Annie replied with a self-righteous display if indignation.

Hermione raised her brow. "It wouldn't be the first time."

"That was a long time ago." Her mother replied. "When you first got out of the hospital, yes, your father and I kept a close eye on your eating habits. We had to." Unspoken was the fact that Hermione had lies so often, they hadn't dared to trust anything she told them.

"You had your spies when I was away at Hogwarts, too." Hermione reminded her without rancor. She'd understood why they'd done that, too, and since she'd had no intention of reverting to her old ways, she'd never voiced any objections to the frequent calls to the prefects and heads of houses. Lately, though, she'd worked hard, not only to stay healthy but also to regain her parents' trust. It hurt to see that distrust back in her mother's eyes, but on some level she understood it.

"I'm a mother, sue me." Annie said blithely, not so much as blinking at the charge that she'd spied. "Let's drop this for now. I have something important I need to ask you, and I want you to be totally honest. If this bothers you, you have to say so."

Hermione regarded her curiously, surprised by her somber tone. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm supposed to go to Lily's tonight."

"A Trio gang night." Hermione guessed. "What does that have to do with me?"

"Would it bother you if I hung out with Narcissa?"

There was a tiny little twinge, but Hermione stomped on it. Her mother was _not _being disloyal. "Mum, don't be absurd." She said, meaning it. "You have been friends forever. Just because Draco and I aren't speaking doesn't mean you and Narcissa shouldn't."

"You're sure?"

"Absolutely. Go."

"You and I could do something instead, especially if you want to talk about all this. Or we could drive to Wilton and see a movie. I've already cleared it with James to leave him in charge here at the restaurant, so I can take off now."

"The last thing I want to talk about right now is Draco. That subject is dead. Over. Kaput."

"Really?" her mum asked skeptically.

"Yes, really."

"Then how about the movie?"

"So I can sit there for two hours and feel guilty for keeping you from spending the evening with your friends? No way."

"Then what will you do tonight?"

Hermione shrugged. She didn't want to go home and sit in an empty house. She knew what time her mother would get home, and her father would probably stay late at the hardware store. "Maybe I'll see if dad wants to go to a movie or something. We haven't spent time together in a while."

"Your father's planning to go to the first years Quidditch practice, then go for pizza with Severus and the children." Annie's expression brightened. "You could go with him. He'll have to help Mirianda keep an eye on Marylyn and Falin while Severus' coaching. I'm sure he'd love an extra pair of hands."

Rather than dismissing the idea outright and giving her mother more to worry about, Annie said, "I'll think about it. Maybe."

Annie clearly wasn't fooled by the evasive answer. "Are you concerned you'll run into Draco there?"

"Mum!"

"I'm just saying you don't need to be. The past couple of nights he'd gone to the spa to work with Sirius. The way I hear it, he's been there for hours. I'm sure that's where he'll be tonight, as well."

Rather than reassuring her as her mum has clearly intended, Annie's words only solidified Hermione's resolve to avoid the Quidditch Pitch at all costs. "Which means his son will probably be at the Pitch with Severus." Hermione said. "No thanks."

Annie looked crestfallen. "Oh, love, I'm sorry. I didn't think about that. I still haven't gotten used to the idea that Draco even has a son."

"Yeah, well it's all I think about." Despite her resolve not to let anyone see how much she still cared, Hermione felt the sting of tears in her eyes. She stood up and announced, "I'm going for a walk."

Seeing the immediate worry in Annie's eyes, she bent down and kissed her mother's cheek. "Don't start fretting, mum. Have fun and watch those margaritas. Lily's are lethal."

Annie laughed. "Don't I know it."

Hermione left before her mum decided to suggest the tag along, as she had the last time the Trio and gang had gotten together. She knew she'd be welcome, but it would be way too awkward being there with Narcissa with the subject on everyone's mind suddenly taboo because of her presence.

It really was too bad, though, because a lethal margarita and the oblivion that was bound to follow sounded really good about now.

**AN: Please note that magic is not a big part of this story. They all went to Hogwarts, but it was just like their regular school. Everyone goes to Hogwarts, basically. It's like everyone's high school through college or something like that. Just wanted to make that clear, since some of you were asking about it.**


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